It's time for a strike!

You are right I have a upper hand because I have a paid for truck, but I still pay myself a truck payment, maintence account, etc. etc. and am doing just fine. I planned over a year in starting up my business making darn sure I get into a field that there is a demand for. I was looking at pullign end dumps because when they are workign money is good, but with the current housing market I was smart enough to not go that route. If you can't make money in the field you are in, then maybe you should go look at something else to do! i currently pull dry vans, and trust me if loads come to a stop, I will look into another field where a demand is in place. I also always have a clean truck, clean shaven and I wear a uniform every day so I guess I might say I am doing more than the o/o who wears the same clothes for 4 days and hasn't shaved in a week and showered in 2 days and god knows the last time the truck was washed.

The way I see it there are 3 different types of trucks..

A truck = clean truck and driver who is always respectful and always on time

B Truck = usually ontime but doesn't wash the truck, hasn't showered/shaved, etc.

C Truck= Picks up the load when he wants, delivers it when he wants, beaten up truck that you don't know if it will make it down the road or not.

I consider myself a A truck so I charge the rates for it. You want to ship a cheap load, thats fine but if you want the professionalism then you are going to have to pay for it.

 

Sorry for the length. Take a break before reading this...maybe a good nap. Get a good cup o coffee if needed...

Well Im glad you know Im in a company truck. A quick read of this site would easily tell you who I work for. There is nothing wrong with being a company driver. My comment wasn't aimed to insult O/O's...but this childlike mentality of Owner Ops being higher ups or better than company drivers is really belittling in so many ways. Plus when you get snappy with your attitude and claim we are jealous...thats seriously way out there. But yeah, since you think I don't know much...lets have some fun.

First off, jealous of what exactly? Your ability to say no to a load while I have the ability to get a load right / soon after I dropped my last one off?

Define decent looking truck? You may think a old school pete is a great looking truck (and it is) but pretty doesnt pay the bills, the truck does. Id rather have a cheap dependable used junker / clunker which has low maintenance costs allowing me more money in my pocket, than a 'decent looking' truck. My Century is pretty darned good looking to me, dented bumpers, dinged fiberglass. In the end, it starts up and pulls...all I need. Sorry if you need more?
The ability to get out and run? What ability is that? Your ability to change horsepower? Im sorry that my company has a crew of geeks that sit around and do nothing other than spec their trucks for optimum performance and lifetime?
lol...get out n run? I run at 67/68. Since I pull light all the time, I pass Owner Ops (probably because they are slowing down for fuel savings which is good...but since I dont pay for my fuel...I pass em). I pass many O/Os and other non governed trucks going up the slightest hills, and on the steep ones, I pass them as if they were sitting still.
Not trying to brag....ok well yeah I am. Danged company truck!

This doesnt make sense. It seems you assume we think that when the O/Os are gone, so will the good looking trucks? Where do you get that idea?
Also, as far as a no frills truck...Im not sure what you mean...and what the big whoopidy do is over the difference that there is. My truck has a bed, when its sleepy time (ok well I dont use it since Im home daily but thats beside the point)...I go to sleep. it has a desk for paperwork, storage for goodies. It has what I need, not what I want. There are lots of stuff that I would WANT on the truck, but not what I really need.
And seriously, at the end of the day...does the pittance of a difference between the frills of what an O/O Might have and what a company driver has...does it matter that much that yuo need to insult us for not having the frills? Its a frill. Plus, as I've talked to another truck driver, he made the very good point of not wanting to be in the truck every minute of the day. Drive, stop...get out and walk or something. Dear Lord...the average age for truck drivers is 54....gotta love those frills. OH yeah...forget that 54 age stat...you said I dont know anything about the industry...

This is where my tinfoil comment came from. Simple and true paranoia at its best. Conspiracy written all over it. Besides...if they do put a cam in there, Im gonna put on some cheesy music and do a naked fat man dance thats so incredibly disgusting, they will remove it the next day.

What effort? The Owner Ops out there that are successful in their business are NOT going on strike...they have no need to. This is the problem we have here. Some people dont have a clue how to run their business and they are dumbfounded when I make a comment as 'absurd' as the fact that successful owner Ops are NOT struggling. They can't see how one cant struggle in times like these. My points:
A. Successful Owner Ops out there have built up a business and customer base and relationship with their customers (not brokers) to be able to adjust the fuel surcharge as the fuel costs go up. Hence, the ones that add this bit into their contract with their customers are busy making money while others are talking and yelling strike. Why would a successful owner Op complain about fuel prices...if their fuel is paid for via their contract with their shippers?
B. Strike...for what? You want us to stand beside you. Lol where do you stand? On what grounds? You can talk to 1000 truckers and get 1001 responses as to why we should strike. There is NO universal gripe that stands above and beyond any other concern. lots of truckers want fuel taxes taken off. Well fine...what will pay for the roads you drive on then? They will have to raise taxes somewhere else. You want the government to intervene? How? Name one time they have intervened and NOT screwed something up royally?
C. Dont call me uneducated when I know for a fact that the oil industry is the #2 income for the federal government, and here you go expecting the gov to do something about it, such as lower prices...lowering the govs income. lol...yeah.
D. Just came to mind as I was wrapping this up. Lets say you are on strike because of fuel costs and you were able to get everyone to agree that is your main beef. So you want to get the government involved...right? Yeah, you want them to LIMIT the amount of profit an oil company can make. Nevermind the fact that this very thing goes against the American dream of business people everywhere...making profit and piles o green.
Now...ok so lets just say by some miracle of God, you got them to put a cap on the profit the oil companies could makes. You are for that...right? Most likely you are. So...work with me here: Does that mean that since you are FOR putting a cap on oil industries profit, that you are for a cap on how much money you can make? Meaning...do you want someone telling you how much money you can make at most?Because at the end of the day, you cant be for putting a cap on their profit and against a cap on yours...thats just hypocritical.

Yeah, and lets keep on helping that already shining viewpoint that America has of truck drivers. All that is going to happen when you block a roadway is tick off a bunch of people who are trying to get through...not stir up some sort of fantasmical thought inside their head of "wow, they must be blocking my path to work because they are concerned about the rising costs of fuel in our struggling economy"

wh...what..wait...yuo mean there is a fuel crisis? I should tell my company...they probably dont know about this yet!
I just had a trainer come out to me in February and train me in additional ways to save fuel while driving through town and various other methods. Companies ARE aware of the situation. Big companies (darned companies I tell ya)...have contracts set in place that gives them a lower cost per gallon for fuel. Sure that fluctuates as the prices goes up and down. But I know when the sign says 4 bucks a gallon, my company is not paying 4 bucks a gallon. Plus they also negotiate their shippers to pay for the fuel.

And other than going on strike...or complaining about it...exactly how are you doing what you claim and what makes you think company drivers arent trying to do something about the situations we face?

My comment was towards the jealousy thing. Its stupid to assume that we company drivers are jealous of Owner Ops. Its equally as stupid to assume the opposite.

I accepted the job when I was told what I would be doing. I dont pick my loads. Nor do I refuse them. I sleep until my load is brought to my doorstep, then I wake up and do my job, lol. Actually I shouldnt be laughing...because my load is seriously brought to my doorstep.
My pay was not and will not be the most important thing for me. I make good money for what I do. Not as much as an OTR, but at the same time, I dont have to deal with many issues OTR drivers deal with. Im not in a rush, as I dont get paid by the mile. I work quickly though because I know the sooner Im done...the sooner Im home. Today I was parked at a truck stop for a couple of hours due to a road closure. I just went into the sleeper and laid down while others griped on the radio about needing to be here and there by X oclock and how they were losing money. I was making money sitting there.
But I refuse to be 'respectful' to owner ops simply because they are owner ops. Thats stupid, and I will not put another truck driver up on a pedastal, nor will I take crap for being a company driver either. Im an equal opportunity respectifier (sounds like something Bush would say). My level of respect does not waiver depending on your risk involved or what you do...as long as you do your best and earn your pay.

 

I don't care if you've got enough excuses to fill a 53 footer by 102 wide...SHUT THEM TRUCKS DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I heard going on strike was a federal issue and could get people in trouble..something about interrupting the national transportation of goods..yet i don't see our government helping us out either.. who makes up these laws?

 

I haven''t heard from dh today ,are you all still striking?
I have seen alot less truck traffic today.

 

there are an awful I's in your posts 13 if I am count right kinda says it all, I want it all and to he** with you, the new truckers motto???

 

Wow 3 years and you know it all,,,,,

Ever hear the saying "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry"

I bought my truck cash, same for the trailers, and the forklifts, and all the shop equipment.

I didn't spend all that money in order to come out with 50 G a year and no benefits. Not to make 75G either, WTF I can get a job and make that.

And this talk about pulling a flat, then a dump, then a van. Do you have someone giving you trailers for free?

And what about customers? Every time the wind blows you find new customers just like that? How the ###### does that work? I work very hard getting customers, It takes years to develop a good customer base.

Here is what I figure from the way you are talking. Who knows maybe I'm wrong. I have been known to be wrong once or twice.

You have been in it 3 years, well almost all insurance companies want to see at least 2 years experience before you can get your own insurance. The same goes with most companies that lease to, they pretty much all want to see 2 years driving.

You talk about changing trailers like it's no big deal, so you probably pull someone else's trailers.

If you are pulling someone else's trailers, you are probably running on someone else's insurance, and under their operating authority.

Nothing wrong with leasing to a company, there have been times when I made good money while leased to someone else.

But here you are with probably 1 year of being an Owner Operator, operating on a lease, and pulling someone else's trailer. But somehow you think you can tell guys who have been out there 20 or 30 years "how it all works"

You know some of us have a serious capital investment tied up in things like Reefers, curtain sides, RGN trailers, expandable flats, walking floors, wet lines, headache racks, forklifts, and a multitude of other things. we can't all just up and run off to do something else whenever some broker promises something.

 

I find that hard to believe that you stick up for your fellow Truckers...

All I have heard is you saying how great you are and...:smt101:smt101..


Life is good for you and we're happy for that...But this is the real world here...And it goes beyond the Truckers with high price of oil...Look at the Elderly and the other people on Fixed incomes...It was very hard for them to heat there homes...Some of those people it was ether heat or Food...

The Truckers that are protesting are doing the right thing and to benefit everyone..Maybe we need to get more people involved beyond the relm of the Truckers at this point..

My self I am sicken that the Oil Company's made Billions and now they want like 18 Billion back in taxes..Are you kidding me...That is plain just wrong...


The Mexican thing is a separate issue form this....And what does that have to do with what we're fighting for here?

 

Dam 27 years old a 3 years as a driver he knows it all hell he hasn't even hit the first hard part yet. 3 years into it i was still trying to figure the difference between a lease operator and an O/O so i am sure he figured it all out by listening to the CB lawyers and the CB business men. Or had some on leave him a ton of cash when they passed that they had worked there entire life for so he could blow it in a few years playing billy big rigger owner operator Leased to some one else. Well it will come around like it does to most of them when the numbers don't match the fantasy.